Buying a Pedigree Kitten

Responsible Breeding - Responsible Buying

First considerations

We are delighted that you are considering purchasing a pedigree kitten to be part of your family—but before that exciting day when you go to collect your new kitten, there are important points to consider:

Are you ready for a cat? Before you start to look, consider the basics. From the cost of keeping your new pet, grooming, possible vet fees—getting a new kitten is a lifelong commitment.

Finding the right breed. Advice and help is available from GCCF, to ensure you find the right breed for your home and lifestyle. Check out the information on our Choosing a Breedpages.

Finding the right breeder. When searching for a healthy, correctly bred pedigree kitten, it is the breeder that is the most important consideration—here are some helpful tips on how to find the right one:

Members of the scheme, and other responsible breeders, should do the following:

Follow recommended breeding policies

Make use of health screening schemes, such as testing for PKD in Persians or Hypokalaemia in Burmese or Asian cats (N.B. GCCF Breeder Scheme Breeders MUST use the schemes)

Ensure the kitten is seen with its mother, to give an indication of how the kitten is likely to turn out

Be prepared to answer your questions about the breed

Give new owners written information regarding the diet and care of their new kitten, as well as a correct pedigree

Be there as a point of contact throughout the kitten's life to ensure that the cat and owner have a happy and fulfilling relationship

If a breeder doesn't follow these guidelines and if the kittens do not appear happy and are not kept in good conditions, then look elsewhere.

Breed Clubs

Breed Clubs will also recommend breeders to you and contact details for these clubs can be found on the individual breed pages on this website.

What to expect from a breeder

The breeder should give you the opportunity to see the kitten with its mother and the rest of litter. This is very important because it will not only give you an opportunity to see the temperament of the mother, but may also give you an idea of the future characteristics of the kitten

Have the opportunity to see all the kittens and be able to handle them, rather than just seeing the kitten being offered to you

It is the responsibility of the breeder to register the litter with GCCF, or another registering body, and each kitten in the litter will initially be registered in the breeder’s name. Under normal circumstances, litter registration with GCCF takes about 14 days, after which time the breeder will receive the registration certificates for all the kittens in the litter. If there is a query with the application GCCF will contact the breeder to resolve and further action may be required which may delay the registration process

If the kitten is advertised as GCCF registered you should ensure that you take receipt of the GCCF Registration Certificate. Don't forget to transfer your kitten into your name as soon as you purchase it; some breeders may arrange this for you. If the registration certificate is not available at the time of purchase, ensure that you receive an undertaking in writing from the breeder that this will be sent to you when available. Currently there is a cash prize of £25 for the lucky winner, chosen at random, from each month's transfers. A list of past winners can be found here.

A responsible breeder will provide background on socialisation they have already provided to your kitten and advice on continuing work in this area when you get home. Ideally when you choose your kitten, find a litter that have been raised in a house as similar to yours as possible (so with children if you have children, in a noisy environment if you have a noisy house, with a dog if you have a dog etc). If your kitten has come from a GCCF Breeder Scheme breeder, you already know that he has had a good start in life, and is well on the way to making a perfect addition to your family.

Written advice on feeding, flea treatment, worming and vaccination

A pedigree detailing your kitten's ancestry - this could either be hand-written or a printed pedigree from either the breeder or an official one from the GCCF

Copies of any additional health certificates for the sire and dam

Just like humans, some breeds of cats can be affected by inherited conditions. There are various health schemes, which aim todetect and monitor certain inherited conditions. It is important that you are aware of these conditions and know the right questions to ask of breeders before buying a kitten. There are also some DNA tests now available for certain breeds

Ask which vaccinations your kitten has had and when boosters are required

Your Breeder can offer you free GCCF Pet Insurance, in association with Agria Pet Insurance, with your new kitten, which starts from the moment you collect your kitten. Ask them to ensure this is set up so that you have cover, should your new kitten suffer from any illness or injury.